Alexa finds a home in Polk Audio’s Command Bar

Can you even remember life before Alexa? Using your hands to turn the lights off, manually setting alarms, having to do a Google search when you suddenly need to know what year Speed 2: Cruise Control was released in…how did we get by? Anyway, Amazon’s voice assistant continued her quest for world domination at CES, and she’s easily the standout feature of Polk Audio’s latest soundbar. The first product in its category to have Alexa built-in, Polk is positioning the Command Bar (£349) as the centrepiece of your living room. The device features far-field microphones, so you can order your obedient AI to adjust the volume, pause or check the weather like you would on any Alexa-enabled device. In the middle of the bar you’ll find four buttons within a ring that glows blue when activated – pretty much identical to the top of an Echo speaker. If Alexa’s struggling to hear you over all the racket, you can press a button on the Command Bar’s remote to temporarily knock the volume down. Pick one up in July. 

Matt Tate Contributor

About

I'm fascinated by all things tech, but if you were going to leave me on a desert island, I'd probably ask for my Nintendo Switch, a drone, and a pair of noise-cancelling cans to block out the relentless seagull racket. When I'm not on Stuff duty you'll probably find me subscribing to too many podcasts, playing too many video games, or telling anyone who will listen that Spurs are going to win a trophy this season.

Areas of expertise

Video games, VR, smartwatches, headphones, smart speakers, bizarre Kickstarter campaigns